A Dove's Tale

Chapter 64

"You're home early."

A wide smile spread across my face at Mother's greeting when I walked into our house. She was still in bed, of course, but she was awake, and a hint of a smile was on her pale face, too. I went to her side and kissed her on the cheek.

"Let me just deal with this, and then I'll be right back," I said brightly, picking up the foul bucket.

"And then you can explain that blush," she teased.

My cheeks warmed even more at her parting words. It had been a few days since I'd faced the dilemma of what to tell her and what to withhold about Prince Chevalier, and as happy as I was to see her feeling a little better, I was still dead tired. Deciding how to feed her impossible dream while keeping my heart firmly shackled to the ground would be difficult. I certainly couldn't tell her Prince Chevalier had kissed me, or said my name for the first time, or that I'd spent the last few minutes of my workday at the palace in his arms. Even thinking about it all was dangerous.

So, what was I supposed to say?

This was what happened when I let my guard down. My carefully constructed walls, built to keep me safe from the harsh realities of life, couldn't stand in the face of all the pressure I'd been dealing with, and now my heart was raw, broken, and trampled on the ground. This wasn't a fairy tale, and miracles didn't happen. Giving in to my feelings about Prince Chevalier would only end in disaster for me.

But Mother didn't see that.

"So, what happened with Prince Chevalier?" she asked as soon as I returned.

"All the princes are getting into the festival spirit," I replied, setting the bucket in its place and grabbing the broom. Prince Chevalier wanted me to take a nap, but I'd fallen behind on my housework over the past few days, and I wasn't about to waste this time with Mother. As long as I slept tonight, I'd be fine.

"You're avoiding the question," Mother said knowingly.

I sighed. "Well, I told you Marge assigned me to three important foreign dignitaries. One of them has been causing some trouble for me, and Prince Chevalier has had to step in to resolve the matter."

"Which still doesn't explain you blushing like a woman who just parted from her lover."

"Mother!" I exclaimed, spinning to face her.

She giggled softly. "You forget I was in love once myself. I know the symptoms."

I turned away and pursed my lips. "You're seeing things."

She sighed, and a pang of guilt stabbed my chest. I couldn't deny her this pleasure. If it made her smile, then I would just have to put my heart through the wringer again. I set the broom aside and sat on the edge of the bed, taking her thin, cold hand in mine and studying it intently rather than looking at her face.

"He kissed me," I finally admitted.

"I knew it," she said triumphantly. I darted a look at her bright, sparkling eyes, and dropped my gaze to her hand again as my blush deepened.

"Last night. Or, well, this morning, I guess. After the ball. I didn't have the best night, and he told me he wanted to see me before I left, and then he was out in the gardens, and...it was late, and dark, and quiet, and we were alone, and there were roses all around..."

"That sounds very romantic."

It was. And it wasn't. I remembered the warmth of his lips on mine, the pain in my chest when I pushed him away. There were so many reasons that shouldn't have happened. I didn't want to tell Mother and put her smile at risk of disappearing, and yet the words were tumbling out of me before I could stop them.